The present invention relates to an alcohol breath testing device intended for determining the alcohol concentration in air exhaled from human lungs.
The catastrophic consequences of driving vehicles while under the influence of alcohol are well known. In recent years concerted efforts have been made by various organizations, law enforcement agencies, and federal and state legislation, to reduce the number of people driving while under the influence. As a consequence, many states have now adopted laws which define alcohol intoxication in terms of the concentration of alcohol in one's breath. As a result of this increased effort to reduce alcohol related accidents through the stringent enforcement of laws prohibiting driving while under the influence of alcohol, a need has arisen for an accurate, inexpensive breath alcohol detection device that may be utilized by a motorist to determine whether or not the concentration of alcohol in his body exceeds a legal maximum concentration.
Devices attempting to satisfy the foregoing need are known, for example, such devices which attempt to measure alcohol concentration in one's breath are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,223,488, 3,917,456, and 4,329,318. While these devices are useful for the intended purpose, there still exists a need for such a device which is inexpensive, easily used, and which is accurate. There also exists a need to improve upon alcohol detection devices which do not include any means for accurately determining and/or controlling the amount of expelled breath air that must be passed through the device in order to accurately determine alcohol concentrations. A need also exists to eliminate in some devices the air balloon that is used to provide a way of providing a measured amount of breath air for alcohol concentration measurement. This need arises due to the inaccuracies inherent in such use, the cumbersome nature of such devices, and through the need to provide a simpler device.
There has also been a need to provide such a device which includes an integral illumination means to enable the user to read the alcohol concentration that is displayed.
It has been therefore one objective of my invention to provide an alcohol breath detection device which is inexpensive, simple to use, and accurate.
It has been another objective of this invention to provide such a device which includes means which will simply and accurately permit a predetermined amount of air expelled from the lungs to be introduced into said device and passed through the chemical composition in a predetermined period of time.
It has also been the objective of one embodiment of this invention to provide a device which can be illuminated for nighttime use and which may be reused by inserting a new chemical containing capsule or conduit.